Dong Nai’s new position and role in a new era

With expanded development space following the merger and a streamlined administrative apparatus, Dong Nai City is well positioned to seize strategic opportunities to build a dynamic, innovative, and prosperous metropolis. Major infrastructure projects, together with strong political determination, provide a solid foundation for the city to achieve new breakthroughs and make greater contributions to the country’s overall development in the new era.

Creating a new growth space

The Politburo’s strategic viewpoint for Dong Nai’s development in the new era has been clearly defined: “Dong Nai is built into an important national growth pole, a center for economic connectivity, and a gateway for international integration in the new phase; becoming a model of dynamic, civilized, and happy development; contributing to shaping a new development space for the entire Southeast region.” For that reason, Dong Nai must act swiftly and decisively in translating this strategic viewpoint into vivid practical development, commensurate with its new position and role. This is not only the guiding principle for Dong Nai’s confidence in achieving breakthroughs in the new era but also its pathway toward making greater contributions to the country’s prosperous development.

Nhon Trach 6 Industrial Park, located in Phuoc An commune, holds a strategic position near Long Thanh International Airport. Photo: Cong Nghia

To fulfill the new mandate entrusted by the Politburo, Dong Nai is accelerating the transformation of its growth model toward rapid, intensive, and sustainable development. Rather than relying primarily on traditional industries, the city is prioritizing the attraction of high-tech projects, core technologies, the digital economy, and the knowledge economy to generate sustainable value chains. During that roadmap, Long Thanh International Airport, Phuoc An Port, and interregional and international expressway networks are increasingly demonstrating their role as powerful “magnets” for high-value investment capital. The synergy of these mega-infrastructure projects is creating a comprehensive logistics ecosystem, positioning Dong Nai as a dynamic hub for goods and services.

According to Dr. Dinh Cong Khai, Vice President of the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, following the merger of the entire former Binh Phuoc provincial area, Dong Nai now possesses exceptionally vast land resources for planning functional zones of international scale. The high-speed synchronization of infrastructure – particularly multimodal transport systems – will generate shared prosperity across the entire urban system while creating broad spillover effects throughout the Southeast region. In the upcoming period, the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City stands ready to accompany the city and provide policy consultation so that Dong Nai can develop on a firm foundation of science, technology, and innovation, while focusing on high-tech and core technology sectors of the world for breakthrough growth.

Economic experts likewise share the view that Dong Nai possesses distinct advantages over many other Vietnamese cities, including the long stretch of the Dong Nai River with highly stable hydrological conditions, largely preserved forest resources, and rich biodiversity.

Therefore, Dong Nai must place special emphasis on urban development strategies associated with its riverside corridor in order to shape a world-class living environment. As Dong Nai City continues to urbanize, the value of its forest resources will become increasingly important, not only as a green lung supporting sustainable urbanism, but also as a strategic foundation for high-value eco-tourism and exploration tourism.

New expectations

During group discussions at the 1st session of the 16th National Assembly, Vu Hong Van, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee, and Head of the Dong Nai Provincial National Assembly Delegation (now Dong Nai City), reaffirmed strong political determination. He emphasized that upon becoming a city, Dong Nai will serve as a growth pole, an economic connectivity center, and an international integration gateway for both the region and the nation, while also standing ready to closely link with Ho Chi Minh City in forming a mega-urban corridor. Demonstrating his sense of national responsibility, he also pledged that in 2026, Dong Nai would achieve double-digit economic growth, with projected budget revenue reaching 150 trillion VND.

According to Do Thanh Binh, Member of the Party Central Committee and Minister of Home Affairs, Dong Nai’s potential and internal capacity for breakthrough development upon officially becoming a city are enormous. That potential lies in the powerful aspirations of a locality with nearly 4.5 million people, a rich revolutionary and cultural tradition, long-standing experience in attracting foreign investment, early industrial development, and a highly open economy. Remarkably, throughout the appraisal process for the city’s establishment, Dong Nai’s leadership demonstrated exceptionally high political determination, worked with great seriousness, and provided fully convincing grounds.

Do Van Chien, Member of the Politburo, Secretary of the Party Central Committee,

and Standing Vice Chairman of the National Assembly

Reviewing and updating Dong Nai City’s master plan through 2045, with a vision to 2065

The Politburo has always devoted considerable attention to Dong Nai’s position and role in the country’s broader development trajectory. Therefore, Dong Nai must closely follow the directives of the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, the National Assembly, and the Government in building a new-phase action program. This action program, he stressed, must be specific, creatively applied, and effectively implemented in order to develop Dong Nai City into a prosperous and wealthy metropolis for the happiness of its people, while demonstrating the highest level of responsibility toward national development.

Following the 1st session of the 16th National Assembly, many delegates not only strongly supported the establishment of Dong Nai City but also actively contributed recommendations to ensure the locality develops in a deep, comprehensive, and sustainable direction. Delegates emphasized that Dong Nai is not merely one of the country’s major industrial production centers, but also possesses the potential to become a regional center for innovation and technology transfer. Accordingly, in the coming period, the city should adopt policies capable of attracting major corporations to establish research and development centers linked to industrial parks.

At the same time, leaders from ministries and sectors also expect Dong Nai to maximize its vast land reserves in order to develop into a high-tech agricultural center with substantial added value. Dong Nai’s agricultural development, they noted, must be based on high technology, deep processing, and traceability, while leveraging Long Thanh International Airport and Phuoc An Port to access global markets.

Entrepreneur and Labor Hero Le Nu Thuy Duong, Vice Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and CEO of KN Holdings Corporation Joint Stock Company (KN Holdings), expressed her expectation that this is currently the “golden time” to invest and succeed in Dong Nai due to the convergence of numerous favorable conditions. Over recent years, Dong Nai has received major central government investment in strategic infrastructure – most notably Long Thanh International Airport – while also proactively constructing modern bridges connecting to Ho Chi Minh City, the nation’s leading economic center. Particularly from April 30 onward, with Dong Nai officially becoming a city, the locality will have additional mechanisms and policies for breakthrough development. The business community is positioned to be the primary driver of such breakthroughs.